320w QB vs 300w Vero COB, what do you choose?

320w QB vs 300w Vero COB, what would you choose?

  • Total voters
    59
DazeHazy

DazeHazy

Active Member
nfhiggs said:
DIY some Samsung Strips.
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I just spent about 10 hours watching growmau5 videos and pricing out the Samsung strips etc. it doesn't seem like I'll be saving much if any considering the time investment...things were getting a tad complicated.

6-9 x Samsung F-Series Gen3 Strips https://www.digikey.co.za/product-detail/en/samsung-semiconductor-inc/SI-B8V261560WW/1510-2217-ND/6624001

Not sure which driver? https://za.rs-online.com/web/c/displays-optoelectronics/led-lighting-system-components/constant-voltage-led-drivers/?searchTerm=hlg&h=s&sra=oss&redirect-relevancy-data=636F3D3126696E3D4931384E53656172636847656E65726963266C753D656E266D6D3D6D61746368616C6C7061727469616C26706D3D5E2E2A2426706F3D31333326736E3D592673743D43415443485F414C4C5F44454641554C542673633D592677633D4E4F4E45267573743D686C67267374613D686C6726
 
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nfhiggs

nfhiggs

Well-Known Member
DazeHazy said:
I just spent about 10 hours watching growmau5 videos and pricing out the Samsung strips etc. it doesn't seem like I'll be saving much if any considering the time investment...things were getting a tad complicated.
Click to expand...
Well, I guess you gotta like the whole DIY thing. I love to tinker myself.
 
Big Green Thumb

Big Green Thumb

Well-Known Member
Whichever way you go, you may want to consider more power than 320 watts. That comes out to 26.6667 watts per square foot. I would not go less than 30 watts per sqare foot (360 watts), but prefer 40 w/ft2 (480 watts that you can dim down some if you need). Strip builds are easy and work well with their full light coverage. Cobs are probably the most complicated builds since you have all the wiring and driver concerns as the other builds, but you also have to worry about a bunch of heatsinks, too.
 
wietefras

wietefras

Well-Known Member
I have just built another COB fixture after doing some strip fixtures. Strips are so much easier. Better light distribution too.

Wiring is much less work with strips and some aluminum U-channel is enough to serve as a heat sink/frame.

480W seems like overkill. Also W/sqft doesn't account for efficiency. Normally we work with about 800umol/s per m2 or 75umol/s per sqft. So for 2'x6' you'd need 900umol/s in total. Or use a bit more if you want to correct for wall losses.

For the Vero COBs you'd need about 400W to produce 900umol/s. Using the more efficient Samsung F strips @1050mA, you get the same amount of light from 370W. I'd use 8 of those double row F strips (about 49W a piece) and divide them per four over two 200W drivers (using 380W total).
 
diyled

diyled

Well-Known Member
Basic 320w Options in order of most efficient 1st.

18 q series strips
6 double row f series
3x qb288
4x luminus cxm22
3x vero29c

The qbs and f series run like that are the same umol/j but you get better spread with strips.
The luminus and veros run at the same umol/j but the luminus will have better spread as its more points of light.

Id go 400w in that space filled with strips as the shape lends its self best to them. Q series of you want to chase efficiency or f series if you want cheap.

400w you want 8 f series strips but it might be cheaper buying ten.
 
ANC

ANC

Well-Known Member
A 320W can just as easily run 3 100W strips, at a small cost to efficiency, but can get you a 4x2 covered.
If you can get a 600W driver you need 6 strips, so $300 + Driver + frame and wire cost.
 
wietefras

wietefras

Well-Known Member
diyled said:
Q series of you want to chase efficiency or f series if you want cheap.
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That's not how it works. You can get the same efficiency with any of those strips. Just find the current at which each of them runs at the desired efficiency. Then simply compare them on price.

Samsung presents the Q series as more efficient by testing them at 40C instead of 65C for the F-series and by testing them at about a third of the watts (F-series is tested at 261% of the wattage of a Q-series strip).

For that efficiency level of the Q-series marketing to actually be economically viable, you need to be dealing with a electricity price of about 60cents per kwh. If you pay around 20 cents then running them at the tested current for the F-series is much more relevant.

Or in short, don't fall for marketing tricks.
 
S

Slinging PAR

Well-Known Member
Skip the kits and buy the components direct first off.

Vero fan here so that is where my vote went. The SE are so easy to deal with the poke in connectors it is simpler than lego. Going cobs gives you better options for spreading the light out for a given area.
 
klx

klx

Well-Known Member
I have vero lights and strip lights. They are both good and in the end wont be the limiting factor in your grow.

I would definitely get more light in that space though.
 
nfhiggs

nfhiggs

Well-Known Member
wietefras said:
That's not how it works. You can get the same efficiency with any of those strips. Just find the current at which each of them runs at the desired efficiency. Then simply compare them on price.

Samsung presents the Q series as more efficient by testing them at 40C instead of 65C for the F-series and by testing them at about a third of the watts (F-series is tested at 261% of the wattage of a Q-series strip).

For that efficiency level of the Q-series marketing to actually be economically viable, you need to be dealing with a electricity price of about 60cents per kwh. If you pay around 20 cents then running them at the tested current for the F-series is much more relevant.

Or in short, don't fall for marketing tricks.
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Actually the Q series compares very favorably to the F-series, when running comparisons at the same current (900 mA and below). When run at the same currents they produce the same amount of lumens and have the same efficiency when using the same strip length and CCT. When compared that way, the Q strips are actually a couple of dollars cheaper per strip. The only thing you lose (with the Q strips) is the ability to run them hotter (than 900 mA) - but we generally run them soft anyway.
 
Rahz

Rahz

Well-Known Member
DazeHazy said:
Both are available from TimberGrowLights but are the QBs worth the extra $120? I'm looking to cover a 2x6 area for flowering.

http://timbergrowlights.com/320-watt-quantum-board-grow-light-kit/ - $479

http://timbergrowlights.com/300-watt-vero29-v7-3-cob-grow-light-kit/ - $349
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Vero29C 3000K 80CRI is about 51% efficient (numbers in the sim have improved in the most recent version), so 145 PAR watts. Maybe someone else can chime in on the QBs.

That would give you 24 par watts per foot in a 2x3, little on the high end (or just right depending on how bright you like it), or 12 par watts per foot in a 2x6, little on the low end. It would end up being good readings in the center and crap readings on the ends. You really need more light, or just use part of the area until you can afford an addition.
 
DazeHazy

DazeHazy

Active Member
GBAUTO said:
I'd try the double rows instead- https://www.digikey.co.za/product-detail/en/samsung-semiconductor-inc/SI-B8V521560WW/1510-2221-ND/6624005 I'd go with 8 for that size space and about 400w total. A pair of HLG 185H-48 drivers will work.
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Thanks for the very helpful reply. It looks like 9 double row strips over the 2x6 space is the way to go. That'll give me 3 strips over every 2x2 area and a total of 432W. I'll buy 10 and have 1 as a spare, seeing as it's cheaper that way, with 2 x HLG-185H-48's? Are the 185H-48's enough for 9 double row strips? 48A or 48B dimming?

That prices out to $350 which is the same price as the COB's but yields an extra 132W with better light distribution, less headroom required and hopefully no serious calcium deficiencies which I've read are apparently more common due to the LEDs and COBs in particular.

I'm always super grateful for the forums. Thanks to all for their input :)
 
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Rahz

Rahz

Well-Known Member
I've never had issues with calcium deficiency, various strains and a few different nutrient brands, in hydro. I have seen calcium deficiency in soilless, but the mix I use is part coir and extra calcium is recommended anyway, nothing light specific.
 
DazeHazy

DazeHazy

Active Member
wietefras said:
I have just built another COB fixture after doing some strip fixtures. Strips are so much easier. Better light distribution too.

Wiring is much less work with strips and some aluminum U-channel is enough to serve as a heat sink/frame.

480W seems like overkill. Also W/sqft doesn't account for efficiency. Normally we work with about 800umol/s per m2 or 75umol/s per sqft. So for 2'x6' you'd need 900umol/s in total. Or use a bit more if you want to correct for wall losses.

For the Vero COBs you'd need about 400W to produce 900umol/s. Using the more efficient Samsung F strips @1050mA, you get the same amount of light from 370W. I'd use 8 of those double row F strips (about 49W a piece) and divide them per four over two 200W drivers (using 380W total).
Click to expand...
If I want to do 9 double row strips instead of 8, would I have 5 on a 240H-?? and 4 on the 185H-48? All these various numbers are confusing. I can follow a wiring diagram but I when it comes to doing the electrical calculations I don't know what I'm doing. Am I in danger of supplying to much amperage if I turn the potentiometer to the max?

All the threads and growmau5 video deal with different setups.
 
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ANC

ANC

Well-Known Member
DazeHazy said:
Thanks for the very helpful reply. It looks like 9 double row strips over the 2x6 space is the way to go. That'll give me 3 strips over every 2x2 area and a total of 432W. I'll buy 10 and have 1 as a spare, seeing as it's cheaper that way, with 2 x HLG-185H-48's? Are the 185H-48's enough for 9 double row strips? 48A or 48B dimming?

That prices out to $350 which is the same price as the COB's but yields an extra 132W with better light distribution, less headroom required and hopefully no serious calcium deficiencies which I've read are apparently more common due to the LEDs and COBs in particular.

I'm always super grateful for the forums. Thanks to all for their input :)
Click to expand...
3 x FB24B on a 320W 48V driver will cover 3x5. I use that much over 2x4 trays, and the canopies are a bit wider
It will cost a bit more but you could replace them 4ft strips with 2ft ones so you can drive all off one driver to save money.
So you would need 8 of them to cover 2 x 6 with the same amount of light. you are looking at 400W draw for 8 50W strips.

A 480W HLG is $150
A 10-pack of the 2 ft 50W strips is $250.
You can connect all 10 strips or keep two for a veg area on a 200W driver.
 
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